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"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful we must carry it with us or we find it not."

R. W. Emerrson

Entries in Hawaii (5)

Tuesday
Feb112014

Fact or Fiction? Shaved Ice Vendor Experimenting with Sushi Flavors

Haleiwa Shaved Ice

The following submission is either completely fictional or is fact-based.  Please post a comment noting whether you think it is True or False with your own entertaining or supporting commentary.  The answer will be revealed in a future comment on this post.

Our stay on Oahu and Maui is reaching its conclusion and somehow we nearly missed out on a Hawaiian islands’ tradition, shaved ice - That tasty treat known in Ohio (where we grew up) as snow cones.  Luckily, our travels this week took us to the little town of Haleiwa where we encountered Matsumoto’s Haleiwa Shaved Ice.

This legendary shaved ice hot spot was hard to miss with its long line of customers cascading onto the sidewalk.  We spotted a camera crew from the local news outlet and quickly learned that Matsumoto’s supplemented its traditional syrup flavors (i.e.: cherry and banana) with more creative offerings such as green tea and pickled mango, but that wasn’t what had attracted the media.  Further investigation revealed that the owners were experimenting with a new flavor based on sushi grade ahi tuna which was presented with an optional dollop of fresh wasabi.

When asked about the creative offering, the shop’s representative informed us that it was created in an effort to appeal to the Japanese tourist community which contributes strongly to their business.  While sales of the unique flavor have not been significant, it has garnered positive press and increased foot traffic to this local institution which currently sells more than 1,000 shaved ices each day.

Tuesday
Feb042014

Making New Friends in Hawaii

Steve Snyder and Teresa Allred

When our good friend Rich Batenburg heard about our plans to visit Hawaii, he recommended that we contact Steve Snyder and his lovely wife Teresa.  Steve is a highly accomplished public speaker and Teresa built a very successful aircraft parts engineering and manufacturing company in California before they moved to Nahiku on the island of Maui.

Steve and Teresa have found satisfaction in a simple lifestyle that celebrates relationships more than material possessions.  They spend most of their time outside and built a yurt (two actually) on their property to provide comfort and protection.  They, along with their two lovely golden retrievers, were generous and welcoming to us.

We spent a long afternoon visiting on their deck while taking in the sweeping ocean views.  Teresa's keen sense of observation allowed her to quickly observe Matt's accomplishments at MSU (Making Stuff Up) - An entertaining acronym we hadn't heard before.  At lunchtime we set off for Nahiku Marketplace to enjoy tender pork and fresh fish tacos followed by incredible ice-cream at Coconut Glen's.

The afternoon was capped off with a tour of their beautiful tropical fruit orchard where Teresa shared information about the trees, plants, grafting techniques, and harvesting methods.  We sampled a few items as we traveled through the grounds and before parting ways Teresa blended a fresh passion fruit juice for us to enjoy.  We were delighted by the delicious flavors of the beverage as well as the kindness extended by our two new friends.

Saturday
Feb012014

Pearl Harbor

Waterfront Memorial with the USS Bowfin submarine in the background

Moving…Memorable…Peaceful - These are the words that describe our trip to Pearl Harbor’s portion of the Pacific National Monument, in particular, the USS Arizona Memorial.  The national park is configured well, providing a variety of sites and experiences that are free of charge supplemented by for-purchase packages to historic treasures such as the USS Bowfin submarine, the Battleship Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum.

We arrived around 1:00 PM and located convenient on-site parking.  The park doesn’t allow any “items that offer concealment” including handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, etc.  Once we figured this out, Jenn returned to the car where she stored her purse in the trunk.  Alternatively, personal items can be stored on-site for a $3 charge.

Upon entry into the park we inquired about our options and were handed two free tickets to the 3 PM tour of the USS Arizona.  We occupied our few hours of free time prior to the tour by exploring the grounds containing lovely monuments to fallen heroes as well as survivors of the December 7th, 1941 attacks.  We also learned about history in the open air museums which described how a date which will live in infamy started WWII.  Lastly, we explored a variety of submarine and artillery items that were on display.

The time passed quickly and before we knew it the tour was ready to start.  After watching an informative 30 minute film, we boarded a US Navy operated boat that shuttled us to the USS Arizona’s resting place.  It is a beautiful memorial to the fallen; the ship below, fish swimming and nesting on it, a flag flying overhead, and the names on the wall dedicated “To the memory of the gallant men here entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941 on the USS Arizona.”  It was quite moving.

If you find yourself on Oahu, reserve a little time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country by making an educational, yet moving visit to Pearl Harbor.  You’ll be glad you did.

Wednesday
Jan292014

Albatross Courtship Dance - Ka'ena Point, Oahu, HI

Our 2.5 mile hike from Yokohama Bay to the Ka'ena Point Nature Area Reserve on the island of Oahu, HI was rewarded when we witnessed the courtship dance of two Laysan Albatrosses.

Monday
Jan272014

Good Fortune is with Us

This is being typed as we fly across the ocean towards Hawaii to kick off our Asia-Pacific tour.  We have, and continue to experience mixed feelings of sheer excitement, fear of the unknown, and lots of “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

These varied feelings are to be expected and we know this journey will help us grow individually and as a team.  We have worked hard to get here, but there is something to be said for hedging one’s bets.

Our good friends, Rich (affectionately known as Richie B) and his lovely wife Laverne (aka Elle) gave us a beautiful little Buddha statue for good luck.  They purchased it specially for us while traveling in Thailand last November.

The baby Buddha is joining us in our travels; after all, one can always use a little extra good fortune.